iPhone 14 and the SIM card dilemma! Apple now unwilling to kill SIM card in 2022

iPhone 14 could do it to the SIM card what the iPhone 7 did to the headphone jack! Latest rumours emerging from Cupertino suggest that Apple is considering the option of letting telecom operators choose between an eSIM only model as well as a physical SIM card model. Previously, it was believed that Apple would ditch the physical SIM card slot entirely with the iPhone 14 generation – one of the many big changes with the 2022 iPhones.

The iPhone 14 is expected to retain both the eSIM only version and a nano SIM option this year, says Technology Service Director at data analytics and consulting firm GlobalData Emma Mohr-McClune in an iMore report. The analyst says that Apple will let telecom operators choose which version of the iPhone 14 would they want to sell.

iPhone 14 may not kill SIM cards entirely

The eSIM technology will allow for customers to get a digital copy of their SIM card details directly installed on the device. When the user wants to change a device, he/she will have to contact the cellular operator to port all the SIM data to the new phone.

Note that eSIM is already present on the current generation iPhone 13 models. In fact, Apple has long been offering eSIM connectivity alongside the physical SIM card slot since the iPhone XS/XR generation, thereby allowing dual SIM card connectivity.

Other than the iPhones, Apple also offers eSIM connectivity on the Apple Watch and the new iPad models. An eSIM connectivity prevents the hassle of inserting a physical SIM card. For Apple and other phone manufacturers, it means one less port that allows them to either expand the battery, or improve water resistance.

The iPhone 14 series is also expected to make the 120Hz ProMotion technology a standard feature across all variants. Additionally, the Pro models are expected to finally ditch the display notch in favour of a camera cutout similar to existing Android phones.